Dozens of local, state, federal and military agencies from across the state proudly displayed their wares Saturday at the Metro Public Safety Day and Recruitment event.It was partly fun for the whole family and a call for some grownups to step up and joint their ranks. More than anything, the annual event at Cottonwood Mall was a demonstration of positive public relations for the 41 agencies taking part.There was plenty of equipment available for hands-on or up-close examination by kids and adults, including a military medivac helicopter, a bomb squad-style robot, protective police vests, fire trucks, and more.Michael Alexander, a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputy assigned to court security, said the good vibes were coming from people of all ages."Everyone seems to be happy about this," Alexander said. "They thank us all the time for doing what we do. Unfortunately, a lot of them, they're just little kids, and it'll be a little while before they can go through our academies. But it's really nice to see them out here."With many agencies short on personnel, recruitment is very important right now, and the strategy of having so many different safety agencies in one place offers one-stop shopping for people who may be looking for public safety careers, but ones that differ."We've gotten the recruitment together to go out to different venues to attract more people to our cause," Alexander said.The numbers vary from year to year, but Alexander said the person-to-person recruitment approach is especially effective."Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, but when we get out here, people can see someone right up close and have a friendly conversation with them," Alexander said, adding a pitch for those who might be drawn to providing safety at county courthouses. "We're shy on people," he said. "We need as much help as we can get."